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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. tear — from crying
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. board — to get on
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. tear — from crying
  9. chip — for betting
  10. game — a match
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. chip — to eat
  14. can — a tin
  15. board — a committee
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — army training
  18. can — to be able to
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. can — a tin
  21. field — a subject
  22. game — wild animals
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. tear — to rip

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com